Reducing the invisible threat of infection in fire & EMS personnel

It has always been my personal belief that sometimes it’s the things that we can’t see that can hurt us the most. Of these “invisible threats”, perhaps none is more potentially dangerous to our personnel as the illness and death caused by infectious disease. Even without the threat of Ebola, MERS or other exotic diseases, firefighters face a substantially increased risk of contracting a debilitating or even life-threatening disease such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Multiple scientific studies have documented that MRSA can be found in 50% of ambulances. Other studies have documented the tremendous frequency in which MRSA can be found on various surfaces throughout the fire stations. But perhaps the most alarming statistic of all is that 1 in 5 firefighters (22%) have become carriers of MRSA compared to 1.5% of the general population. Infectious disease in the fire service is rapidly becoming one of the leading causes of death and disability. Given these statistics, when a local company approached us several years ago about testing out their ambulance decontamination equipment, we felt it would be a good opportunity to try to reverse these alarming industry trends while improving the health and safety of our department personnel.